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Richard Fellows, 15, was with two friends on Sunday when he got into difficulty in a pool on the River Arrow. Credit: BPM

Police are warning people not to cool off in rivers and ponds after a boy drowned while swimming near a weir in Redditch.

Richard Fellows, 15, was with two friends on Sunday when he got into difficulty in a pool on the River Arrow.

He was taken to Redditch's Alexandra Hospital but was confirmed dead.

View of the visitor centre at the Arrow Valley Country Park near Redditch Credit: Arrow Valley Country Park

Inspector Ian Joseph, of West Mercia Police, said:

"This was a dreadful tragedy and our thoughts are with Richard's family and friends.

"While the investigation is at a very early stage, it was a beautiful spring day and it appears the boys went into part of the river which forms a pool by the weir for a swim.

"Unfortunately the water there is deep and cold, and Richard did not resurface.

"I cannot reiterate strongly enough that swimming in a warm indoor pool is very different to swimming in open water, and even the strongest of swimmers can get into difficulty in rivers, canals, ponds, and quarries."

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West Mercia Police has tonight identified the teenager who is believed to have drowned in a Redditch lake.

The force has confirmed 15-year-old Richard Fellows from Brockhill, Worcestershire, was swimming in the River Arrow near the lake at Arrow Valley Country Park at the time of the incident.

Superintendent Kevin Purcell, the North Worcestershire Police Commander, said: “Our thoughts are with Richard’s family after this tragic incident and we pass on their request to respect the family’s privacy at this time.”

A teenager has died after getting into difficulty in a lake. West Midlands Ambulance Service said that emergency services had rescued the boy from a lake in Arrow Valley Countryside Centre in Redditch in Worcestershire but he died in hospital. Two other boys were treated for minor injuries.